Toronto’s METZ were recently asked to reunite for a performance on Everybody’s Live with John Mulaney, and so I dug into my archives for my first conversation with the band’s Alex Edkins. My digging led me to our second conversation as well, so I’ve combined them here for you and other METZ fans. Alex and I had met a number of times at METZ shows b…

Ian Blurton and Rob Taylor discuss the return of Change of Heart and In the Wreckage, their first album since 1997, Rob’s 1992 departure and its impact on Ian who carried on, the savvy lawyer who oversaw Change of Heart’s major label deal and helped them retain their masters, whether we might see reissues of Tummysuckle and Steelteeth, why they mad…

William Tyler returns to discuss his alluring new album, Time Indefinite, moving home to Nashville from Los Angeles during a pandemic, our perspectives on a paradigm shift and political contentions about a nebulous status quo, utilizing lo-fi media sources out of necessity to write songs and make films, the state of documentation and cultural erasu…

On the afternoon of Thursday, September 17, 2009, I interviewed Nick Cave in (what I recall was) the Park Hyatt's restaurant located in the Yorkville area of Toronto, Ontario. The occasion was to discuss his then new novel, The Death of Bunny Munro, and we also covered his work with Warren Ellis and the filmmaker John Hillcoat to score the film, Th…

Yves Jarvis returns to discuss his astounding new album, All Cylinders, artistic growth and personal maturity, musical colours and poetic symbolism, dynamic inspirations like Paul McCartney, Prince, Stevie Wonder, and King Crimson, employing multi-instrumentalism, the admirable autonomy of stand-up comedians, expressing every single thing, tour, ot…

Erik Denno and brothers James Wall and John Wall discuss their work together in Kerosene 454 and the Solid Brass reissue of their second album, Came By To Kill Me, the band’s history, the roads that brought them from Arizona to D.C. to California, getting into punk rock, touring with Hoover and filming some of their sets, the connection between the…

I recently shared a new conversation with the band Regulator Watts, so it now seems fitting to share an older talk I had with their distant cousin, Reggie Watts, the gifted comedian, musician, and actor. Reggie and I first spoke on Wednesday May 9, 2012, at 3 PM ET, ostensibly about his then new special, A Live at Central Park, but we also covered …

Melanie St. Pierre-Bednis, Neil Bednis, and Fraser McClean from Casper Skulls discuss their new album Kit-Cat, the TV show character Frasier Crane, the significance of alt-rock radio and MuchMusic on young minds, Robert Frost poems and being goth, the Bunnies in Berlin record made at the Romano brothers’ studio in Welland, moving from stark post-pu…

Alex Dunham and Areif Sless-Kitain from Regulator Watts discuss The Mercury LP, Alex building a new house in Minnesota, Areif’s stint drumming in Bluetip and his love of Hoover, why Hoover broke up and how Regulator Watts began, the cinematic nature of the band’s sound, Regulator Watts reconvening recently and recording new songs at Electrical Audi…

On Tuesday August 21, 2012, at 3:30 pm ET, I spoke with Josh Tillman, who’d left a popular band called Fleet Foxes to venture out on his own. He called himself Father John Misty and earlier that spring, Sub Pop had released his acclaimed debut album, Fear Fun. Josh and I had a talk about its meta- and philosophical themes, why he name dropped peopl…

Marlaena Moore discusses Because You Love Everything, leaving Edmonton for Montreal, being tall among the smaller, playing bass in a garage rock band, why imposter syndrome can be a form of narcissism, working with “Monty” Munro and Chris Dadge, Chad VanGaalen’s way of life, loving Sarah McLachlan and Annie Lennox, being at peace with death, the Ch…

Daryl Hall is here discuss to his latest album D, historic home preservation and restoration, working with the Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart, classic rock radio and how legacy artists stay vital, why he started the inventive, award-winning web series Live from Daryl’s House and its current status, working with Robert Fripp on 1980’s Sacred Songs and his…

On April 12, 2007, I had two phone calls with Patti Smith for a print piece about both her then-new album, Twelve, which features her interpretations of songs by other artists, and her life and work. We were originally only meant to speak once but, after a publicist cut us off after 25 minutes, Patti told me she found my questions thoughtful, asked…

Dan Bejar discusses the new Destroyer album Dan’s Boogie, why he feels better about this album than his last one, expressing opinions to collaborator John Collins without saying a word, whether or not he thinks Jim Morrison is still alive and well in Syracuse, New York, collaborating with Fiver’s Simone Schmidt and why they’re one of the best singe…

Tom Beaujour and Richard Bienstock discuss their new book Lollapalooza: The Uncensored Story Of Alternative Rock’s Wildest Festival, living among bears, whether Guitar World journalists are required to shred, why their book Nöthin' But a Good Time: The Uncensored History of the '80s Hard Rock Explosion and Michael Azerrad’s Our Band Could Be Your L…

Back in September, 2010, I had the tremendous opportunity to interview Van Dyke Parks on two occasions. The second time was live before an audience at Pop Montreal. The first time was over the phone for the Mich Vish Interracial Morning Show!, which I co-hosted with my wife Michelle. Here for you now, as it aired on September 29, 2010, is my radio …

Eliza Niemi is back to discuss her wonderful new solo album Progress Bakery, her creative life post-Mauno, why she’s been focusing more on cello and the creative and collaborative opportunities it’s providing her, working closely with Dorothea Paas and Louie Short, dealing with a frightening illness alone while completing a residency in New Mexico,…

EVERY OTHER COMPLETE KREATIVE KONTROL EPISODE IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO MONTHLY $6 USD PATREON SUPPORTERS. Enjoy this excerpt and please subscribe now via this link to hear this full episode. Thanks! Kim Thayil from Soundgarden, 3rd Secret, and Nudedragons is here to discuss how the roots of Sub Pop and Seattle’s sound are in Illinois, growing up as In…

EVERY OTHER KREATIVE KONTROL EPISODE IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO MONTHLY $6 USD PATREON SUPPORTERS. This one is fine, but please subscribe now on Patreon so you never miss full episodes. Thanks! Ben Disaster is here to discuss Real Sickies and their new album Under a Plastic Bag, his weekly CJSR radio show, This is Pop, festive DIY kitchen parties on the…

EVERY OTHER KREATIVE KONTROL EPISODE IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO MONTHLY $6 USD PATREON SUPPORTERS. Enjoy this excerpt and please subscribe now via this link to hear this full episode. Thanks! Nels Cline returns to discuss his new album and band, Nels Cline: Consentrik Quartet, empathetic collaboration and op art, composition and improvisation in music a…

I’ve had the good fortune of interviewing Bob Mould a couple of times in my life. In honour of his new album, Here We Go Crazy, here’s a previously unreleased conversation we had at 1:30 PM ET on Wednesday, June 25, 2014, about his album Beauty & Ruin. To hear this entire conversation, subscribe to Kreative Kontrol on Patreon at the $6 tier or high…

EVERY OTHER KREATIVE KONTROL EPISODE IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO MONTHLY $6 USD PATREON SUPPORTERS. This one is fine, but please subscribe now on Patreon so you never miss full episodes. Thanks! Ariel Sharratt and Mathias Kom from the Burning Hell are back to discuss their new album, Ghost Palace, DIY home renovations and instructional videos on YouTube,…

EVERY OTHER KREATIVE KONTROL EPISODE IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO MONTHLY $6 USD PATREON SUPPORTERS. Enjoy this excerpt and please subscribe now via this link to hear this full episode. Thanks! Owen Williams from the Tubs discusses their excellent album, Cotton Crown, DADGAD guitar tuning and affinities for artists like Big Star, Richard Thompson, and SZA…

EVERY OTHER KREATIVE KONTROL EPISODE IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO MONTHLY $6 USD PATREON SUPPORTERS. This one is fine, but please subscribe now on Patreon so you never miss full episodes. Thanks! Emmalia Bortolon-Vettor and Sarafina Bortolon-Vettor from Bonnie Trash are back to discuss their new album Mourning You, the narrative aspects of Emma’s instrume…

EVERY OTHER KREATIVE KONTROL EPISODE IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO MONTHLY $6 USD PATREON SUPPORTERS. Enjoy this excerpt and please subscribe now via this link to hear this full episode. Thanks! Peter Ames Carlin is here to discuss his new book, The Name of This Band is R.E.M., his background as a fledgling musician and culture writer, developing lovely ra…

EVERY OTHER KREATIVE KONTROL EPISODE IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO MONTHLY $6 USD PATREON SUPPORTERS. This one is fine, but please subscribe now on Patreon so you never miss full episodes. Thanks! Steve Moriarty from the Gits is here to discuss his book, Mia Zapata & The Gits: A Story of Art, Rock, and Revolution, his literary influences, his issues with t…

EVERY OTHER KREATIVE KONTROL EPISODE IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO MONTHLY $6 USD PATREON SUPPORTERS. This one is fine, but please subscribe now on Patreon so you never miss full episodes. Thanks! Andy Cohen and Tim Midyett from Silkworm discuss the new Developer reissue, our shared experience at a memorial for Steve Albini this past summer where Joel RL P…

EVERY OTHER KREATIVE KONTROL EPISODE IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO MONTHLY $6 USD PATREON SUPPORTERS. Enjoy this excerpt and please subscribe now via this link to hear this full episode. Thanks! Mark Ibold and Scott Kannberg from Pavement, director Jed I. Rosenberg, and producers Jeffrey Lewis Clark and Brian Thalken discuss Louder Than You Think: A Lo-Fi …

EVERY OTHER KREATIVE KONTROL EPISODE IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO MONTHLY $6 USD PATREON SUPPORTERS. Enjoy this excerpt and please subscribe now via this link to hear this full episode. Thanks! Gianmarco Soresi is here ahead of his Biltmore Cabaret Just for Laughs Vancouver shows on February 17 and 18, and discusses recurring crowd work characters, moving…

EVERY OTHER KREATIVE KONTROL EPISODE IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO MONTHLY $6 USD PATREON SUPPORTERS. This one is fine, but please subscribe now on Patreon so you never miss full episodes. Thanks! Richard Davies is here to discuss Composition Book, the new album by the Moles, life in New England and a fascination with the sharks there and in Australia, how…

EVERY OTHER KREATIVE KONTROL EPISODE IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO MONTHLY $6 USD PATREON SUPPORTERS. Enjoy this excerpt and please subscribe now via this link to hear this full episode. Thanks! Margaret Cho is here to discuss her album Lucky Gift, her February 16 Live and LIVID! tour date at Just For Laughs Vancouver, her experience with the January 2025 …

EVERY OTHER KREATIVE KONTROL EPISODE IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO MONTHLY $6 USD PATREON SUPPORTERS. This one is fine, but please subscribe now on Patreon so you never miss full episodes. Thanks! Brian Case discusses the new FACS album Wish Defense, when we met in Edmonton, St. Louis musical mentors, seeing Fred Armisen’s band Trenchmouth, loving undergro…

EVERY OTHER KREATIVE KONTROL EPISODE IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO MONTHLY $6 USD PATREON SUPPORTERS. Enjoy this excerpt and please subscribe now via this link to hear this full episode. Thanks! James Brandon Lewis returns to discuss the new James Brandon Lewis Trio album, Apple Cores, playing with Josh Werner and Chad Taylor, Werner’s Wu-Tang Clan connect…

In my most recent Kreative Kontrol newsletter, I mentioned that I’d done a long-form interview with Will Oldham about his 2019 album, I Made a Place, but it was only used for a print piece, not for this podcast because, at the time, he was feeling ambivalent about being on pods. Sometime in the last couple of years, I asked Will if I could share th…

EVERY OTHER KREATIVE KONTROL EPISODE IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO MONTHLY $6 USD PATREON SUPPORTERS. This one is fine, but please subscribe now on Patreon so you never miss full episodes. Thanks! Matt Dresdner and Andy Kessler from the Gits are here to discuss the 2025 Sub Pop reissue of their excellent 1992 debut album, Frenching the Bully, moving to Sea…

EVERY OTHER KREATIVE KONTROL EPISODE IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO MONTHLY $6 USD PATREON SUPPORTERS. Enjoy this excerpt and please subscribe now via this link to hear this full episode. Thanks! Will Oldham is back to discuss the excellent new Bonnie “Prince” Billy album, The Purple Bird, stoves and broilers, Lori Damiano’s album art, first encountering pr…

The first time I interviewed Will Oldham, it was in-person at a Toronto café on August 19, 2006. He’d played an in-store at Rotate This (Queen & Bathurst location) earlier in the day, and I was told I had 25 minutes to ask him about his then new album, The Letting Go. It was a magazine assignment, but I also planned to use it for my young campus/co…

EVERY OTHER KREATIVE KONTROL EPISODE IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO MONTHLY $6 USD PATREON SUPPORTERS. This one is fine, but please subscribe now on Patreon so you never miss full episodes. Thanks! André Ethier is back to discuss his new album, Cold Spaghetti.., personal fitness routines and preferences, musical theatre and cultural adaptation in songwritin…

EVERY OTHER KREATIVE KONTROL EPISODE IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO MONTHLY $6 USD PATREON SUPPORTERS. Enjoy this excerpt and please subscribe now via this link to hear this full episode. Thanks! Nigel Chapman and Josh Salter from Nap Eyes stop by for a talk about their new album, The Neon Gate, working remotely and living in a house together, producer Rene…

EVERY OTHER KREATIVE KONTROL EPISODE IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO MONTHLY $6 USD PATREON SUPPORTERS. This one is fine, but please subscribe now on Patreon so you never miss full episodes. Thanks! Garba Touré and Oumar Touré from Songhoy Blues discuss their new album, Héritage, our previous encounters when they played shows in Guelph, Ontario, fleeing a ci…

EVERY OTHER KREATIVE KONTROL EPISODE IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO MONTHLY $6 USD PATREON SUPPORTERS. Enjoy this excerpt and please subscribe now via this link to hear this full episode. Thanks! Madi Diaz is here to discuss the one-year anniversary of her Grammy-nominated album, Weird Faith, our Office Hours Live connection, humour, spirituality, love and …

EVERY OTHER KREATIVE KONTROL EPISODE IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO MONTHLY $6 USD PATREON SUPPORTERS. This one is fine, but please subscribe now on Patreon so you never miss full episodes. Thanks! Loel Campbell and Michael “Turk” MacNeil from Contrived are here to discuss Addicted to Sadness, the band’s first album since 2008, growing up in Stellarton, Nov…

EVERY OTHER KREATIVE KONTROL EPISODE IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO MONTHLY $6 USD PATREON SUPPORTERS. Enjoy this excerpt and please subscribe now via this link to hear this full episode. Thanks! Daryl Johns is here to discuss his new self-titled album, how an elevated bed is a marker of adulthood, missing Jersey, why Sting cannot possibly be the same guy w…

EVERY OTHER KREATIVE KONTROL EPISODE IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO MONTHLY $6 USD PATREON SUPPORTERS. Enjoy this excerpt and please subscribe now via this link to hear this full episode. Thanks! Paul Bellini and Scott Thompson return to discuss Valley of Song, the new album by Mouth Congress, recent Kids in the Hall shows featuring banned material, the fat…

EVERY OTHER KREATIVE KONTROL EPISODE IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO MONTHLY $6 USD PATREON SUPPORTERS. This one is fine, but please subscribe now on Patreon so you never miss full episodes. Thanks! Maddee Ritter is here to discuss their debut album, Songs of Love & Death, a possible move to the United States and the best ways to know a city, growing up in a…

EVERY OTHER KREATIVE KONTROL EPISODE IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO MONTHLY $6 USD PATREON SUPPORTERS. Enjoy this excerpt and please subscribe now via this link to hear this full episode. Thanks! Elijah Wald is here to discuss the new Bob Dylan film, A Complete Unknown, which is based on his 2015 book, Dylan Goes Electric! Newport, Seeger, Dylan, and the Ni…

EVERY OTHER KREATIVE KONTROL EPISODE IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO MONTHLY $6 USD PATREON SUPPORTERS. This one is fine, but please subscribe now on Patreon so you never miss full episodes. Thanks! Thanks to Bob Nastanovich, Rebecca Clay Cole from Pavement is here to discuss her Elephant 6 Recording Co. community, Pavement’s influence on it, and the recent …

EVERY OTHER KREATIVE KONTROL EPISODE IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO MONTHLY $6 USD PATREON SUPPORTERS. Enjoy this excerpt and please subscribe now via this link to hear this full episode. Thanks! Alex Ross Perry, Scott Kannberg, and Robert Greene are here to discuss their film Pavements, whether or not it's a comedy, documentary subjects who reflect plurali…

EVERY OTHER KREATIVE KONTROL EPISODE IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO MONTHLY $6 USD PATREON SUPPORTERS. This one is fine, but please subscribe now on Patreon so you never miss full episodes. Thanks! Tim Heidecker returns to discuss his lovely album, Slipping Away, effective ways to discuss your work these days, mid-life, narrative voices on his album, and it…

EVERY OTHER KREATIVE KONTROL EPISODE IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO MONTHLY $6 USD PATREON SUPPORTERS. Enjoy this excerpt and please subscribe now via this link to hear this full episode. Thanks! Franz Nicolay from the Hold Steady is here to discuss his new book, Band People: Life and Work in Popular Music, once living in Toronto and how couples in the crea…